So my neighbor who is a mechanic was looking at my truck with me the other day, and he noticed that my rear-end moves a lot when I let off the clutch (I already knew this). He told me to put a set of add-a-leafs to strenghthen my old worn out (stock) spings. I was also thinking of cranking the T-bars while i was at it. Does anyone have any comments about my situation? Will I have a problem getting my truck aligned?
Thanks in advance.

 

there are provisions to align it even with lifting it with tbar crank... the aal will help out axle wrap

 

I have had bent stock springs for a couple of years ('88 truck with 180,000+ miles). I recently broke the second leaf in the pack as a result. I would recommend a whole new leaf pack, not just an AAL. The AAL will probably make your springs stiffer than you'll want them.

I would also recommend elripster's ball joint spacers (search on here and you'll find tons-o-info) rather than cranking the T-bars. I've been running them for over a year now and they work great. 1.5" of lift for about $120 and they ride much smoother than cranked t-bars.

 

I have had the torsion bars cranked for years now, and I have my springs re-arched and a heavy leaf addad. I've had no problems, but I am planning to use the ball joint spacers and return my torsion bars to their original position. As far as the rear, it sits level and handles weight very well.

 

I have a procomp add a leaf i got from 4wheelparts for bout $25 for a pair, and i cranked my stock torsion bars to level the front. I love it. The ride is kinda stiff, but i ordered new shocks, procomp es3000's and that helped a lot. Word of advice, if you crank your bars, go ahead and order a new set of adjusting bolts and main nuts for bot sides. it will set you back about $20-25 but it is worth it. i broke both my stock adjusting bolts when i was crankin, and ended up puncturing two holes in the bottom of my cab. also get some antiseize to put on the threads before you install the new ones. makes crankin a lot easier.

 

Sounds like maybe you didn't jack the front end off the ground before you adjusted the t-bars. Here is a good link for anyone about adjusting t-bars: http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/torsion/index.htm

I recommend the ball joint spacers too. Nothing wrong with an AAL, unless your stock springs are breaking.

 

I do not recomend the AAL. While it will improve your problem, your ride quality will be very poor, and your flex will be terrible. When i first got my 87, it had the stock springs, and i put on the AAL. It was like riding in a covered wagon. My flex was limited pretty severely. I got new spring packs, and they made a world of difference. I've never cranked the torsion bars, but my front is stiff enough stock. I do recomend the BJ spacers. They are excellent.

 

I guess it all depends on the leaves you add. My original spring pack was first raised with an AAL from a junk yard and it wasn't too stiff at all. It ended up not being enough after a few years and started sagging. Of coarse I love my new Alcan spring packs now, but they were around $500 too.

 

Naw, i had my front completely on stands and my wheels/tires off, to make sure i got all the weight off the control arms. But when i tried crankin' there was a lot of pressure on the bolts. Plus havin an 11 year old truck and never messing with the bolts, i figured that might have had a little to do with it. I just recommend to check into buying a set just in case. mine stayed on stands is a buddies garage for three days while Toyota ordered my bolts. If you don't need them, return 'em. Oh and i love my AAL, it's not much stiffer than stock, and i still have decent flex. I got it cause my springs had worn out so much that when i installed shackles, they bent down instead of keeping their shape and lifting my rearend.